My Reason to Smile
by StormyMonday
Summary: After a tragic accident, Yui lays motionless in her hospital bed, trapped inside her own consciousness. Meanwhile back in the real world, Hideki Hinata has unwittingly become her faithful companion, hoping against hope that she'll defy the odds and one day wake up. Little does he know how complicated life will be when she finally does. AU-ish /Hiatus/


_Authoress's Notes: A few things to know before we begin. The first is that, while this is my very first Angel Beats fanfic, I am not new to fanfiction. I've been a fairly strict Gundam fangirl for well over ten years, so I have basically no experience reading or writing comedy. My favorite characters tend to have suffered horrifically in ways that most people cannot, and will never be able to identify with. With that in mind, I will look past the hijinks and shenanigans of the Angel Beats anime, and focus primarily on the characters as I see them in a real life setting. (Not that I don't love the anime, because I do. It's just that drama and angst are my strong points.) Also, I know what it's like to be Yui, at least to an extent, so this story is a reinterpretation of her life, so to speak. Lastly, this wasn't supposed to be a high school fic, but logic now dictates that it can't be anything but. Which will be difficult as I graduated...well, a very long time ago. ;P_

_Warnings: AU depending on how you look at it, and occasional coarse language. _

_Disclaimer: If I owned Angel Beats! Hinata and Yui's relationship would have gone the whole nine yards. Since I write fanfiction, it's safe to say I claim no rights to my favorite anime or their characters. ZERO, Haro and I find this very upsetting. _

_Beta read by bbybear85, who is terrifically awesomely fantastic for being my second set of eyes._

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**Chapter One: Definition**

Once upon a time, a lovely young lass found herself hopelessly lost in the woods. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her normally silky, pink hair sticky and knotted with blood. A dense fog coalesced around the girl, obscuring her vision, the suffocating moisture causing her to shiver. She was exhausted, unsure as to how long she had been walking. It could have been hours, or even days. Every so often she'd stop to rest, drifting off into a dreamless sleep, only to find that the scenery around her had not changed when she awoke. It was almost as if time itself had abandoned this place; leaving it to be ravaged by decay and despair. She looked for something, anything that could be an identifiable landmark, instead finding only twisted, rotting trees, dead grass under her feet, and still more fog.

In the beginning she summoned her normal determination, and with high spirits set out to find civilization that was surely not far away. However, as her energy faded, and her spirit fell, the young lass began to lose hope. If only she could find the way back; back to her mother, her friends, and to the search for that very special someone.

Succumbing to her aching muscles, the pinkette walked listlessly toward a nearby tree, and sat down. Letting her tired body rest against it, she lifted a hand wiping away tears of frustration. Breathing heavily the girl closed her rose-colored eyes and sighed. Absently one hand found a small, jagged rock that lay at her side. Her slender fingers curled around it enveloping it securely into the palm of her hand. She squeezed the stone tightly as a sudden spark of anger welled up causing her to hurl it into the distance with all her might.

"Okay! I get it!" She drew a shaky, labored breath before continuing. "I know it was stupid to sneak out of the house just to go to a party – a _lame _party – but isn't this a little extreme?" She sighed again, this time opening her eyes. "Mom must be worried sick. She's gonna kill me when I finally do make it home. If I could just find a way out of here I'd be totally fine if she grounded me for the rest of my life."

The pinkette tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears. "What I would give for a cheeseburger right now – no, a double with all the fixins' – including hot peppers!" She blinked, only then realizing that, while her brain was causing these cravings, she didn't look or feel malnourished. "Weird..."

The girl looked up into the heavy, low clouds, her expression once again forlorn. "_Please_, just show me how to get outta here and I'll never ask for anything again."

Just then, as if her prayers had finally been heard, she could hear voices in the distance. They were faint, barely audible, but they were definitely there. The pink-haired girl stood and began running in the direction from whence they came, newly convinced that she would find their source if she just kept going.

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As Hideki Hinata closed the door to his newly acquired apartment, he couldn't help but reflect on how unfair life could be. By conventional standards his own was nearly perfect; in a few months he would start studying to become a sports reporter, and had already secured an internship at the local news station provided he stayed with the school's baseball team. In his free time, he spent countless hours at the batting cage, pushing his talents to their absolute limits. Still, something was missing in his life; something elusive and intangible. His friends suggested that something was a girlfriend, but Hideki stood firm in his assertion that he didn't want just a girlfriend, he wanted a soul mate, and no girl he'd met thus far met that criteria. The others teased him for this, sometimes mercilessly, but he was certain there was someone out there waiting for him. All he had to do was find her.

He switched on a light, and took off his jacket before unceremoniously flopping onto his bed. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling thinking back on the day's events. At the suggestion of his parents, Hideki registered as a volunteer at a nearby hospital. Community service would do him good they said.

His brow furrowed at the memory. "Like I'm some kind of criminal or something."

This he dismissed as incidental, however. He had learned a lot that afternoon. A lot about things most people never experience; things they should never have to learn or bear witness to. Hideki had spent the last two hours having a one sided conversation with a girl who, in all likelihood would never have a conversation with anyone ever again. He learned that she had been involved in a hit and run accident, and besides being comatose was likely paralyzed as well. The nurse told him that unless she woke up, there was no definite way to tell the extent of her condition. During his visit, he also learned from her mother that she had been forced to work two jobs just to pay her daughter's medical bills. To top it off, he also learned that the girl's weight was maintained through the use of a feeding tube inserted directly into her stomach.

He turned to his side, his focus falling on nothing in particular and his thoughts becoming increasingly heavy. In a matter of seconds, the pink-haired girl whose name was Yui had been stripped of all the things most people took for granted, even something as basic as being able to eat solid food.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't fair.

Hideki's thoughts were suddenly broken by the ring tone of his cell phone. He checked the ID and groaned, pressing the answer key, but making sure not to hold the device too close to his ear. "Hi Mom." He winced at the high pitch of his mother's voice and let out a low growl. Obviously she was in panic mode. Again.

"Mom it's okay." He paused and sighed.

"Mom, please calm down. Everything's fine. _I just got home late_." It was apparent she needed to be reminded of her only son's change in routine.

"I started my volunteer work at the hospital today, remember?" Running his fingers through his bangs, the barely twenty year old walked to the other side of the room and peered out the window. "Yes, I know that, but I'm also a grown up. I can take care of myself. Besides, they made me turn my phone off while I was there." He listened to her rant for a few more seconds before hoping he may be able to calm her. "Okay, how about I come over for dinner tomorrow evening and I'll tell you all about what I learned today Sound good?"

He sighed again, this time with relief as this seemed to calm the woman immediately. "Alright, I love you too."

With that, the call ended. He loved his parents dearly, and was grateful that, unlike so many others, his family was happily intact. The problem was that his mother had a bad habit of over reacting as well as being forgetful. These two things were not a good combination. Thankfully, his father was more than capable of helping her to stay grounded, and Hideki himself was generally even tempered and able to handle her sometimes irrational behavior.

As he watched the people travel the sidewalk below his window, Hideki's thoughts drifted back to the pinkette at the hospital. Not only was it all so unfair, but it didn't make any sense either. He had no idea how it could be possible as logically he knew they had never met, but the fact remained he felt a very strong, distinct connection to the unresponsive girl the instant he laid eyes on her. He was, in a word, smitten.

Leaning against the wall, Hideki sighed a third time, thoroughly perplexed and somewhat annoyed at the realization. "What kind of a moron falls for a girl that might as well be dead?"

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_The muse and I love reviews. They sustain us. To be continued, so stay tuned! ;D_


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